Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-10-14
FROM WASHINGTON.
Amy Army Officer Gives His Experience Among
The Grow and Piegan Indians.

Any Army Officer Gives His Experience Among
The Grow and Piegan Indians.
The Indian Bur eau has received no
Further information regarding the
threatened outbreak among the Crows in
Southern Montana, but army officers as
sert that these Indians can not be arrest
ed with :mpunity at this time. Captain
Edward Hunter, of the First Cavalry,
now detailed as q member of the Army
Board to examine State and territorial
claims against the government, but who
came here last winter from fifteen years
continuous service at the frontier posts
of the Northwest, said to-day: THE
government or the civil authorities must
move very cautiously in arresting the
Grows Or IN recovering these horses, or
there will be trouble. The temper of
these Indians is exceedingly bad at pre-
ssnt, and any attempt to arrest, espe
cially by civil process, will cause an out
break. If they are handled tenderly they
will get over their excitement in a few
days and be reasonable about matters.
The real truth is the Crows have been
great sufferers in these predatory raids
which they and the Piegans have made
upon each other. The Piegans are natur-
al horse thieves, and can no more keep
their hands off q herd of horses then they
can refuse drink of whisky. They are
really Canadian Indians, and are closely
related to the British Bloods.
They made raids down to the
Crow reservation steel the horses
and ran them up to the border and pass
them over to their Canadian relatives.
When arrested, of course they have none
of the Crow horses with them. Their
agency backs up against the foothills of
the Rocky Mountains, and if overtaken
before they can get British territory they
rush the horses among the trails among
the hills, and they can't be found. So,
very few of the horses are ever recovered.
On the other hand, when the Crows make
a return raid and sneak off the Piegan
horses, they take them back to their re-
servation, and of course they are always
recovered for the PIegans. As result,
one tribe always gets its horses
back while the Crows get moth
ing. As consequence the latter are
much exasperated at being compelled to
give up their horses. | was present last
year wheR treaty was made between
the Piegans and Crows providing that
all horse stealing should stop, but 1t
seems to have done no good, as later IN
the year the Piegans raided the Crows,
drove them into the agency, and secured
a large number of horses 1t would be
unfortunate to have an outbrea ak
among the Crows, for they have always
been friendly to the whites and have al
ways been our allies in all our troubles
with the Northern Montana Indians. My
advice has always been for the renewal
of the Piegans, Assinaboines, Gros Ven
tres, and other Northern Montana Indians
away from the border. They will always
keep us in hot water. If there is an out
break among them the BlSods swarm
over from Canada to help relatives, and
when the Riel rebellion was on had all
could do to keep our own Indians from
crossing the boundary. They should all
be cons olidated with Crows on their re-
servation."